The Twenty-second Annual CAAPS 
Student Conference on Peacemaking, Diversity and Social Change

Hosted by Marymount University, Arlington, VA
Saturday, 18 April 2009
9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Information about the CAAPS 22nd Annual Student Conference on Peacemaking, Diversity and Social Change

What is CAAPS?

The Capital Area Association for Peace Studies (CAAPS) was founded in 1988 in order to promote cooperation among peace-related curricular programs in the Washington Consortium. Since then, it has brought together students and faculty from area universities through periodic conferences, workshops, and in some years a newsletter designed to enhance access to area resources in the growing, multidisciplinary field of peace studies. A mainstay of CAAPS is its annual student conference, a forum for the presentation of student research and the exchange of experience and ideas among students, faculty, and members of the D.C. peacemaking community. The conference is a moveable feast hosted on a revolving basis; in past years it has found an enthusiastic reception at American University, Catholic University, Georgetown University, The George Washington University, Trinity College, and this year at Marymount University.

How does the conference work?

The conference is an all-day event, designed to bring together people, ideas, and resources around the themes of peacemaking, diversity and social change. Students-both graduate and undergraduate--actively engaged in intellectual, academic, and activist endeavors related to these themes constitute the core of the conference. The opportunities for their involvement include presenting or responding to papers in panels, participating in roundtable discussions, giving or otherwise taking part in workshops, or moderating a panel or roundtable session. Apart from attending sessions, conference attendees also have the opportunity to hear keynote speakers, interact with representatives of invited non-profit organizations, and join in other sorts of collective activities (e.g. meals, music, movement, etc.).

What distinguishes panels, roundtables, and workshops from one another?

A panel consists of 2-3 paper presentations of 10-15 minutes each, followed by a discussant's commentary and an audience question-and-answer session. Students may together submit abstracts (via their registration forms) for a group panel. ("We wish to have a panel on...")

A roundtable is a more informal discussion session among several participants, each of whom gives a 3-4 minute summary of his or her position on a common theme before joining in on an open discussion of that theme. Audience members are also invited to participate in the discussion. A moderator keeps track of time and ensures that all have an opportunity to speak their piece. Students may together (via their registration forms) submit abstracts for a group roundtable. ("We wish to have a roundtable on...") Sometimes roundtables have also been sponsored by organizations, e.g. Amnesty International.

A workshop is designed to be experiential or practical in nature. Workshop presenters will share their expertise with the participants, provide practical exercises, or lead demonstrations of skills. Past workshops have been organized around topics such as career and professional development, conflict resolution skills, combining action and reflection for social justice, and teaching tolerance. Students may together (via their registration forms) submit abstracts for a group workshop. ("We wish to have a workshop on...")

*The tasks of the moderator/discussant: (i) As moderator, please announce the title of the panel and then briefly introduce the speaker(s) to the audience. Ask the speaker(s) whether the panel will have Q&A after each paper or after all papers have been presented. Keep track of the time. For a panel of individual papers, each speaker may have only 10-15 minutes of time for the presentation. Q&A for one speaker must not cause the loss of time for another speaker. Politely tell each speaker (a) that their allotted time is nearing its end about two minutes before it does end, and (b) that their time is up when it is indeed up. For a roundtable, the allotted time is 30-35 minutes, leaving the rest for Q&A. Again, politely inform the panel when their time nears its end and when the end has arrrived. (ii) As the named discussant, please be willing and able to make the first comment or ask the first question when a speaker or roundtable has ended their presentation. Of course, if others in the audience or on the panel or roundtable wish to comment or ask a question, allow them to take precedence. (iii) At the end of the session, announce its end. Ask the audience to thank the participants with applause. Thank all for coming to that session.
* All of this works best if you have prior contact with persons in your panel.*

Contacts for participation and information:

Students and interested others may contact representatives from their own university or college, as below, or may contact a representative from the host institution, GW's Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution Program:

American University: Mohammed Abu-Nimer , Director, Peace-Building and Development Institute [abunimer@american.edu]

Catholic University of America: William Barbieri, Associate Professor, Theology and Religion Department [barbieri@cua.edu]

Georgetown University: Mark Lance, Professor, Georgetown University Program on Justice and Peace [lancem@georgetown.edu]

The George Washington University: Harry Yeide, Professor, Religion Department [yeide@gwu.edu]

Marymount University: Michael Boylan, Professor of Philosophy [mboylan@marymount.edu]

Trinity College: Mary Hayes, SND, Professor of History [hayesm@trinitydc.edu]

The 22nd Annual CAAPS Student Conference is sponsored by:

The George Washington University's Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution Program. See the website here.